Christmas

For the past few weeks, I’ve been getting deluged by a different type of mail. No, there weren’t many games, but there were more than a few treats. Nintendo sent a gingerbread house kit, which I turned into a Mario house, and the folks over at EA sent a handy dandy nutcracker themed after a Bulletstorm monster (I’m assuming.). In between those two, I got a half dozen cards from PR teams and publishers. Here’s what Christmas looks like on my desk.

As expected, the top seeds are cruising in our first-ever Holiday TV Tournament, but there are some close races — especially on the movie side of the bracket.

At last glance, “Home Alone” and “The Santa Claus” were locked up in the tightest battle, with “Home Alone” holding only an eight-vote lead. Also, “The Polar Express” was prevailing in a tight race with “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

I’m wondering, too, where all the Disney fans are. Not only are “Nightmare” and “The Santa Claus” trailing on the movie side of things, but “Disney Prep & Landing” is losing ground in its TV bracket matchup with “Shrek the Halls.”

Christmas is over and now it’s time for a little show and tell. Here’s a shot of my gaming-related gifts. There wasn’t a whole lot I wanted this year, but the Casual Games Maven and my brother came through for me.

I got Tom Clancy’s End War and a Xbox 360 headset through a great deal at Best Buy. What was interesting about this game was the hype surrounding the commercial. While it was on the air, I had three or four people asking about this game just based on what they saw on TV.

The Casual Games Maven also got me a Logitech keyboard that works for the PlayStation 3, and I have to say it works wonders on home and the messaging system. It’s one of those gifts that you never thought about, but when you have, you wonder how you ever did without it.

Lastly, my brother got me a couple of new Xbox 360 controllers — a black and pink one. I have three or four broken controllers in my house. (Yes, I punch them and toss them across the floor when I’m frustrated with a game.)

I’ve professed my love for Good Old Games in the past and since then they’ve only gotten better, adding classics like Oddworld.Â If you have a nostalgic streak or an appreciation for the forefathers of today’s blockbusters I recommend heading on over and checking out their selection.

But that’s not why you clicked on that headline.Â You came because you forgot to buy a present for the gamer in your life and need something quick and cheap which doesn’t involve going to the mall.

With it being the holidays and all, I really wanted to putElf Bowling here. Unfortunately, the only places where I can find that classic casual game is via download, and I don’t like Time Wasters that require to install something. It’s a little too labor intensive.

That’s why I opted for something more accessible in Santa Caught Christmas. This isn’t going to wow your socks off, but it fits the holiday season and you get to play as Santa. Really, how many games let you do that?

In this Time Waster, players move Santa left and right collecting presents that his elves mindlessly dump across the screen. You have to be pretty quick to grab the gifts without having them drop. If they hit the ground, they’re worthless. After Santa gathers enough goodies, he has to dump them in the sleigh.

It doesn’t seem as if there are any levels. You just have to maintain a high score. My highest is 74,600. I’m sure you can beat it.
Play Time: Each game lasts 60 secounds so you’ll have plenty of chances to slip in a round.